How To Become A Fashion Buyer: What It Is and Career Path - Zippia (2024)

Key steps to become a fashion buyer

1. Explore fashion buyer education requirements

   The educational requirements for a fashion buyer typically involve a bachelor's degree. According to the data, the most common educational levels among fashion buyers are high school diploma (20.3% associate degree (19.64% and bachelor's degree (34.65%).

   When it comes to majors, fashion buyers often study specialized sales and merchandising, graphic design, business, marketing, and fine arts. Some top schools for fashion buyers include the University of Pennsylvania, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, and University of Texas at Austin.

   Most common fashion buyer degrees

   Bachelor's

   71.0

   %

   Associate

   20.5

   %

   High School Diploma

   4.0

   %

   See Also

   Buyer Job DescriptionJob responsibilities of a fashion buyer

2. Start to develop specific fashion buyer skills

   A fashion buyer's role involves managing multiple product departments, creating successful merchandise assortments, and following trends to predict buys up to two years in advance. They must also forecast consumer buying patterns, explore and select suitable merchandise, and create productive relationships with vendors. In addition, they negotiate vendor agreements, manage inventory, and maintain positive sales growth through competitive pricing strategies. They also collaborate with marketing and advertising teams to develop high-impact advertisem*nts, marketing materials, and fashion shows.

   Skills	Percentages
   Vendor Relations	14.27%
   Gross Margin	11.36%
   Market Trends	11.16%
   Vendor Communication	10.42%
   Product Selection	8.68%

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3. Complete relevant fashion buyer training and internships

   Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New fashion buyers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a fashion buyer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real fashion buyer resumes.

4. Research fashion buyer duties and responsibilities

   A fashion buyer's responsibilities include managing multiple product departments to achieve turnover and gross margin goals, forecasting seasonal trends, creating product lines, analyzing historical data, and selecting merchandise suitable for current inventory and sales trends. They also negotiate and coordinate sales events, develop advertisem*nts and marketing materials, and maintain positive sales growth through competitive pricing strategies. Additionally, they execute purchase orders, assist customers, and optimize forecasting software to meet customer demand.

   • Manage open-to-buy to ensure continual flow of merchandise to stores and warehouses with careful attention to advertise events and promotions.
   • React to update OTB, markdowns and other financial markers on a regular basis.
   • Evaluate sales records and inventory levels to determine appropriate product requirements for a wide variety of automotive and industrial commodities.
   • Originate BOM structure for production operations.

5. Prepare your fashion buyer resume

   When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your fashion buyer resume.

   You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a fashion buyer resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

   Choose From 10+ Customizable Fashion Buyer Resume templates

   Build a professional

   Fashion Buyer

   resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume.

   Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Fashion Buyer resume.

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

6. Apply for fashion buyer jobs

   Now it's time to start searching for a fashion buyer job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

   1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
   2. Consult your professional network
   3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
   4. Watch out for job scams

How do fashion buyers rate their job?

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.